Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Reed, Rosin and Pedal perform classical music in Brandon

Courtesy of Brandon Music

Laura Markowitz, Wesley Christensen, and Melody Puller make up classical music trio, Reed, Rosin and Pedal.

Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. — BRANDON — Brandon Music welcomes Reed, Rosin and Pedal (RRP), a Vermont classical music trio, on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Reed, Rosin and Pedal features artistic director Wesley Christensen on clarinet, Laura Markowitz, violin and Melody Puller, piano. The group was formed in 2012 and is made up of Vermont musicians from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the greater Burlington area.  Whether playing the wild notes of Bartok or the smooth and flowing lines of Khachaturian, RRP’s mission is to promote the music of this unique combination of instruments.

A sample of some of the pieces they will perform include “Serenade for Three” composed by Peter Schickele, “Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano” by Dmitri Shostakovich and “Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas” (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) composed by Astor Piazolla and arranged by Reed, Rosin and Pedal.

Wesley Christensen, a.k.a “Reed”, has played clarinet with the Champlain Philharmonic Orchestra, Vermont Youth Orchestra, Shrewsbury Chamber Music Society, University of Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Vermont Mozart Festival, and the Opera Theatre of Weston.  Christensen has played at many venues including the Flynn Theater in Burlington and Carnegie Hall in New York City.  He was a recipient in 2009 of the Eden’s Edge Young Artist’s Award.  Christensen graduated from the University of Vermont in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. He currently teaches clarinet at the Monteverdi Music School in Montpelier.

Laura Markowitz, a.k.a “Rosin”, received her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Indiana University, studying there with Paul Bliss and Peter Marsh. Markowitz has been a member of the Santiago Philharmonic (Chile), the Florida Orchestra, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra.  Currently, she is a member of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and also plays in the Burlington Chamber Orchestra and the Green Mountain Opera. Markowitz plays in various chamber music concerts and coaches chamber music through the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association and at Kinhaven Music School in the summer.  She also plays in the band Symphony Reel which tours Vermont schools throughout the year. 

Melody Puller, a.k.a “Pedal,” has performed in numerous St. Paul’s Cathedral Arts concerts since 2004, in both solo and collaborative recitals. She received her Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Idaho in 2002, studying piano with Dr. G. Jay Mauchley. Puller moved to Vermont in 2002 and continued her studies with Elaine Greenfield.  She has performed in the master classes of John O’Connor and Andre LaPlante at the Adamant Music School. She maintains a private teaching studio and has been a board member for the Vermont Music Teachers Association since 2005.

This concert promises an evening of enjoyment for classical music lovers as well as listeners of high quality music.

Tickets for the concert are $15. Venue is BYOB. Brandon Music is located at 62 Country Club Road, Brandon.

For more info, call 802-247-4295 or e-mail info@brandon-music.net.

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